The death of martial arts icon and actor Chuck Norris was officially confirmed by his family on Friday in sudden and tragic news.
At this time, his specific cause of death has not been disclosed to the public, but in a statement shared on social media, his family noted that he had passed away “suddenly” on Thursday morning.
What we do know is that Norris had been hospitalised on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, just a day prior to his passing – apparently due to a “medical emergency”.
However, there were no dramatic concerns at the time as early reports indicated he was initially in good spirits and even cracking jokes with friends.
The emergency appeared to be quite sudden, as he had been actively training on the island and had recently celebrated his 86th birthday on March 10 by posting a video of himself sparring, while saying “I don’t age. I level up.”
Death of Chuck Norris reverberates around the world
His passing has sparked a massive wave of tributes globally, celebrating a career that spanned from professional karate championships to his legendary roles in Walker, Texas Ranger and his status as a permanent fixture of internet pop culture.
Although the exact cause of death has not been revealed as yet, his family emphasised that he was “at peace” when he died.
Tributes pour in
In a brief but poignant post, Sylvester Stallone called Norris “the last of a breed,” highlighting their decades-long friendship and Norris’ unwavering discipline on and off the set.
Arnold Schwarzenegger noted that Norris was “a true pioneer who proved that martial arts could be a global language,” referencing how Norris’ early karate championships paved the way for the action genre of the 1980s.
Another colleague Jean-Claude Van Damme shared a vintage photo of the two training, stating that Norris was not just a colleague but a “mentor in spirit” as tributes continued to flood in.